1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to chairs. More specifically, it relates to a reclining chair transitionable between upright and tilted positions.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Recent technological advances have fundamentally altered the way most humans live their lives. The sedentary lifestyle has become the norm for many students, professionals, and office staff who spend numerous hours sitting in their chairs with very little movement. Sitting in a chair for prolonged periods of time may lead to lower back pain or worsen an existing back problem. Maintaining a static posture, such as sitting, for extended duration increases stress on the back, shoulders, arms and legs, and can add pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs.
A plethora of ergonomic office chairs aimed at reducing the negative impacts of sitting are known in the art. Many chairs have a reclining capability, but most require the users to continuously exert a force on the back support of the chair to maintain the reclined position—as soon as the user stops actively leaning back, the chair returns to its default upright position. Other chairs having an upright and reclined position exist, but they have some serious flaws.
For example, the chair disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,472 requires the user to exert sufficient force on the back of the chair to cause the chair to pivot about its hind legs and fall back from its stable upright position. The chair then falls backwards until the auxiliary legs make contact with the floor. The free fall of the chair may cause great discomfort and anxiety for its users. Furthermore, if the user exerts too much force, or if the user has a heavier body, the momentum generated by the falling motion may be so great that the auxiliary legs may be incapable of stabilizing the chair in the reclined position causing the chair to completely flip over possibly inflicting serious bodily injuries.
Another example of a reclining chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,651. This chair requires a very bulky mechanism to facilitate the transition from an upright to reclined positions. The bulkiness of the chair makes it impractical for a working environment, such as an office or a library. Difficult transportation, storage, and assembly are other drawbacks of this design. Furthermore, the complexity of the reclining mechanism may become a distraction hindering rather than facilitating productivity.
Accordingly, what is needed is a chair with a simple reclining mechanism that allows the chair to easily and safely transition from an upright position to a reclined position allowing the user to maintain an upright sitting posture while working and then effortlessly recline to a stable reclined position allowing the user to relax and take the pressure off the back muscles and spine.